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Vasharil
(Main article: Species ) Proud conquerors and cunning scientists most at home in inhospitable, arctic climates. 'Species Traits:' : Average Height: '5'3-5'10 : '''Average Weight: '''125-180 lbs. : '''Territory: 'Alkonost Rim (Imperative), Sceptri Divide (Coalition) : '''Languages: '''Vasz'ri (Native), Endikan Trade : 'Races: 'Barrani, Traitor Willfil in their pursuit of structure and control - and wholly convinced of their superiority, vasharil guard their territories with potent cryotech-based weaponry. Their breathtaking, palatial cities are hidden in the frozen reaches of the coldest worlds, and few travellers who visit ever leave again. Physical Qualities Vasharil are a species lean, bipedal himanoids with feline traits. Their defining trait is a curious quirk of evolution: overexposure to the dark matter deposits on their homeworld has led to a symbiotic adaption to the unforgiving climate. The vasharil developed arrays of benign cysts along their spines that filter and house dark matter. This has led them to have an extremely low body temperature - their thick fur coats actually insulating them against heat and maintaining their errant body temperatures. Under warmer contidions, the fibrous strands of the coat instinctively realign their structural composition, becoming reflective scales that help to disperse excess heat. Their bodies are infused with dark energy, and they have evolved the ability to manipulate the energy inside them. It keeps their body temperature well below freezing, and their black blood is known to flash-freeze and then violently splinter as it boils and evaporates upon leaving their bodies. They are average in height, generally smaller and less robust than the human norm. To non-vasharil, the difference between men and women is difficult to make out. Both sexes tend toward lean, athletic builds with negligable sexual dimorphism. Males tend to have fewer, but larger spinal cysts clusters while females tend toward smaller, uniform pearlstrings down the spine. Their hair and fur color ranges from snowy white to dusky grey and their eyes vary from icy blue to fiery orange, with tenebrous sclera on account of their black blood. Their skin is universally a dull, dark grey. Vasharil attire tends to strike a balance between form and function. Even the most basic jumpsuits and clothes include intricate patterning and vibrant colours, and are cut to accentuate the wearer's form. The vasharil like to look impressive and imperious a all times, without limiting their practicality. Due to their curious biology, vasharil are exceptionally long-lived. They grow and mature only slightly slower than humans, but their aging process slows to a crawl when they reach maturity. They enjoy health and vigor for most of their lives and don't begin to feel the effects of age until the onset of their last century. Most live upwards of 700 years and even then some medical experts believe that the vasharil's body cools with an effect similar to cryogenic stasis which would imply that the vasharil cannot infact truly die from age alone. When in warmer alien climates, vasharil must don protective breather masks or risk permanent damage to their lungs, as the warmer air deteriorates their homeostasis. Culture The vasharil believe that they are the pinnacle of intelligent life by virtue of their ability to survive and prosper under conditions that would be lethal to most other species. They structured lives broken by bouts of celebrated competition. In their society, merit determines station and status. A myriad of convoluted traditions and customs dictate the manner and times at which challenges may be issued and disputes resolved, arbitrated by betters. Each community is represented by a paragon. The paragons of an entire city are represented by the first among them: a Consul. Consuls in turn answer to the Ministers that govern each starsystem and they answer to the Exarch, who oversees the entirety of the Imperative and its dominion. The vasharils' long life-span gives them a perspective that allows for great patience and long-term plans. They delight in weaving webs of contingency and deliberately wearing down any obstacle - confident in their superiority and ultimate victory. Religion Vasharil find the notion of unkowable entities greater than themselves to be utterly preposterous. They tolerate other species' need to explain what they - with their comparatively short lives - cannot hope to understand, while privately sharing knowing derisions. The closest approximation of 'faith' held by most vasharil is the pursuit of the individual and the glorification of accomplishment. They strive to carve out their own place in the galaxy and define their identity through it. History As one of the older spacefaring species, the vasharil were quick to arm their fleets and expanded methodically. They terraformed every world they encountered, changing them into frozen planets suitable for their kind but inhospitable to other forms of life. When they encountered the saphis, they struck a tenuous peace in return for the exchange of information and technology - planning to outlast the amphibian species and slowly push them to the fringes of the galaxy. The vasharil were forced to adapt however, as humanities presence and rapid expansion challenged their plans for sovreignity. Grudgingly, they chose to cooperate until they could gain the upper hand. Nevertheless, they have remained one of the prominent great galactic nations. Races After the events during the Schism Years, the vasharil species has splintered into two distinct races: Barrani Adamant in their ways, the Barrani have changed little since the early Golden Age. They are long-lived and generally have a detached view of the galaxy. The Barrani have difficulty believing that the struggles of other species have much importance to them, and they consider courses of action that can last for centuries. This callous detachment can make them seem distant and intimidating - an image that the barrani relish in maintaining. Traitors The vasharil loyal to the Traitor Exarch during her flight from the Alkonost Rim were irrevocably branded during their escape. As the defectors strove to reach the the sinistra beacons, Imperative fleets managed to waylay them long enough to deploy a weaponized nanovirus into the exiles' life-support systems. The virus aggressively rewrote and altered their DNA and wrought its effects quickly. Their adaptive coats shed and where it not for stubborn ingenuity, the escaping vasharil may well have met their demise there. Even girded in nanotech temperature-regulating suits, their life-expectancy was drastically reduced. Though they survived, the defectors and their future offspring were branded as traitors to the Barrani Imperative. Fate Core Aspect *'''Cold-hearted predators.